1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in fishing gear, and more particularly to a minnow or like bait fish handling device which receives and holds a minnow and like bait fish in a position for receiving a fish hook.
2. State of the Prior Art
Live bait fish are carried by fisherman in a bucket of water or like bait fish receptacle. A fisherman must chase the bait fish within the bucket and after he catches one of the bait fish, he must hold it firmly in his hand while putting the fish hook into the bait fish. Frequently, the net result is that the bait fish jumps out of the fisherman's hand into the boat or into the water on which the boat is floating. Also, the close proximity of the bait fish to the fisherman's hand often results in the fisherman injuring himself with the hook when he attempts to hook the fish. Therefore, there is a need for a device that aids the fisherman in not only catching a bait fish, but 31 to safely hold the bait fish while inserting the hook.
The prior art discloses several devices which are directed to catching bait fish and hold them for the insertion of a hook. However, each prior art device is unsatisfactory. For example, the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,048,742, issued Sep. 20, 1977, and 3,958,356, issued May 25, 1976, disclose a minnow scoop having an elongated handle which is connected to a clear plastic, wedge-shaped enclosed body. The wedge-shaped body has a pivotally mounted front wall with finger portions and a hinged, floating back door. When the minnow scoop is inserted into the bait bucket, the floating back door opens and bait fish will hopefully swim into the wedge-shaped body and the fisherman will remove the minnow scoop from the water and hook the fish through the fingers of the front will. However, there is no way for the fisherman to hold the fish in position for easily inserting the hook. Furthermore, the fisherman must wait until by happenstance a bait fish swims into the minnow scoop.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,060,923, issued Dec. 6, 1977; 3,803,743, issued Apr. 16, 1974; 3,753,308, issued Aug. 21, 1973; 3,065,561, issued Nov. 27, 1962; 3,059,369, issued Oct. 23, 1962; 2,531,551, issued Nov. 28, 1950; and 2,480,924, issued Sep. 6, 1949; all disclose generally a dipper-type minnow scoop having a handle connected to an open top scoop or funnel-shaped container with openings in the device for insertion of the hook into the bait fish. However, each of these devices require active and specific manipulation by the fisherman in order to catch the bait fish within the scoop prior to hooking the bait fish. The fisherman wastes too much time trying to catch the fish with the scoop.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,118,807, issued Oct. 10, 1978 and 3,541,722, issued Mar. 24, 1969, are directed to a minnow dipper or trap comprising a black body portion having an opening for the passage of fish and an exit opening that terminates in a clear or transparent trap. The trap is provided with means for hooking the bait fish caught in the trap and removing the bait fish from the trap. The black color of the housing lures the fish into the minnow-dipper or trap. When the minnow dipper or trap is moved, the clear or transparent trap is perceived as an escape opening into which the fish swims where it is held until hooked. However, each of these devices does not provide for hooking the bait fish in the head and dorsal area. Also, each of these devices does not have interchangeable trap portions of different sizes to accommodate different size bait fish. Moreover, each of these scoops do not rest on the bottom of the bait container and the bait fish will naturally congregate under the scoop instead of swimming into the scoop. This is true even if the scoops were placed on the bottom of the bait container because the prior art scoops are shaped so they do not lie flat against the bottom.